Championship Ipswich Town 5 Sunderland 2 Ipswich Town produced a performance full of vim and vigour to thrash struggling Sunderland 5-2 at Portman Road tonight and become the Championship’s leading scorers.
Martyn Waghorn headed home the early opener (6) and then produced assists for Jordan Spence (27), Bersant Celina (50) and David McGoldrick (60) in what was a sparkling individual display against his boyhood club.
Substitute Grant Ward put the icing on the cake with a late finish (88).
The Black Cats had scored a quick leveller through Billy Jones’ header from a corner (10), while Aiden McGeady’s super strike (65) meant Town could never take their foot off the gas.
Nevertheless, this was the Blues home display which fans have been crying out for. Picking up from their impressive second half showing in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Leeds, Town stamped their authority on the game from the off and played with real conviction, belief and quality.
This is the only the second time Ipswich have scored five under Mick McCarthy’s management. It was the first they’ve netted a nap hand on Suffolk soil since West Ham were beaten 5-1 in January 2012.
Fifth in the table with a game in hand, there certainly should be a far bigger crowd than 14,907 for Saturday’s visit of Bristol City.
After a flying start, the deadlock was finally broken in the sixth minute when Waghorn deftly glanced home a dangerous cross provided by his former Rangers team-mate Joe Garner. Those two never stopped grafting.
Just like at Leeds last Saturday, Town conceded moments after scoring. Jones lost his marker at corner and produced a thumping headed finish from Aiden McGeady’s delivery.
The Blues were not deterred and continued to play on the front foot. Full-backs Jonas Knudsen and Dominic Iorfa were machines, while the front four producing some slick interplay.
Town deservedly regained the lead when Spence did superbly to head home Waghorn’s corner, generating power as his momentum took him away from goal.
Ipswich tried to turn the screw but were unable to score a killer third before the break.
Bartosz Bialkowski made a fine reaction fingertip save from Lee Cattermole soon after the restart, but Town were soon back on top as Joe Garner went close.
Town’s third was brilliantly worked. After some fine tenacious play by Garner, Waghorn produced a sublime flick with his in-step and Celina confidently side-footed home.
Five minutes later, Garner’s ball up the line allowed Waghorn to beat the offside trap and his first-time cross was bundled beyond keeper Jason Steele at the second time of asking by McGoldrick for his sixth goal of the season.
McGeady’s super strike beat Bialkowski all ends up and was a real bolt from the blue. It gave Sunderland some brief hope, but Town defended well and sub Ward wrapped things up when latching onto McGoldrick’s through ball and rounding the keeper to score.
IPSWICH TOWN (4-2-3-1): Bialkowski; Iorfa, Spence, Chambers (cpt), Knudsen; Adeyemi, Skuse; Waghorn, McGoldrick (Sears 90), Celina (Nydam 75); Garner (Ward 75).
Unused subs: Crowe, Connolly, Kenlock, Bru.
SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1): Steele; Jones, Kone, Wilson (O’Shea 50), Matthews; Gibson, Cattermole; McManaman (Honeyman 66), McGeady, Oviedo (Gooch 56); Vaughan.
Unused subs: Ruiter, Browning, N’Dong, Asoro.
Attendance: 14,907 (740 away)
Referee: Tim Robinson
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